Give to Gain: Supporting Women to Thrive at Cartmells

On International Women’s Day, Managing Director Joanne Stronach reflects on the barriers facing women in the legal industry and how Cartmell Shepherd ensures women across the firm feel supported, valued and able to thrive.

It’s been fantastic to see so many businesses showing their support for International Women’s Day again this year, with some wonderful events happening locally championing women in business.

I had the pleasure of joining a panel discussion hosted by in-Cumbria in Penrith on Friday, sharing my thoughts on the progress we’ve made towards gender equality in the legal industry and the important work still ahead of us.

For those who couldn’t be there, I wanted to share some key reflections from the event and talk about our approach to supporting women in the workplace at Cartmell Shepherd.

Representation of women at Cartmells

We’re proud to have strong representation of women at every level of our business, from secretary, to solicitor, and head of department. At the time of writing:

• 85% of our team are women
• 71% of our Heads of Department are women
• 44% of our Board are women

These figures reflect the commitment we’ve made to building an inclusive workplace where women can develop and progress. However, it’s important to recognise that workplaces like ours are not always the norm.

Challenges in the Wider Industry

It’s been widely reported that, while the legal industry has no problem attracting talented women, retaining them is a different story. Six in ten female solicitors who leave the profession are under 55, compared with three in ten men (Shahid, 2026).

There isn’t a single cause behind this. Commonly cited reasons include structural inflexibility, challenges balancing caring responsibilities and a rollback in flexible working policies.

At Cartmell Shepherd, we’ve made it a priority to understand these issues and embed solutions into how we support our people.

Give to Gain: Supporting Women at Work

Our approach to supporting women at work is perfectly summed up by this year’s International Women’s Day theme which is ‘Give to Gain’.

When we invest in our people with flexibility and practical support, the whole firm benefits from enhanced performance and increased staff loyalty. Some of our staff have been with us for over 40 years!

Here are some of the ways the firm works to support women in the workplace.

• Our flexible working arrangements can include staff being able to work around school pick-ups and drop-offs, adjust their hours when needed and work from home when life requires it. This isn’t an exception; it’s embedded in the way we operate.
• The firm’s wellbeing group arranges talks and shares resources on a wide range of women’s health topics including mental health, endometriosis and menopause, as well as other educational themes like financial wellbeing and domestic violence.
• We have a culture of openness around women’s health, where women feel able to talk openly about challenges they’re facing.
• Family life is celebrated wholeheartedly within the firm. We regularly hold a family fun day, bringing colleagues and their families together. We also make a point of inviting staff to bring new babies into the office to meet the team.
• When on maternity leave, our female staff receive enhanced maternity pay and benefit from regular keep-in-touch days and a staggered return to work if required.

Creating an environment where women feel supported and valued isn’t a one-off exercise, it’s an ongoing commitment. While I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come and the position we’re now in as a firm, listening to our team remains essential. Their experiences, insights and ideas guide us as we continue building a workplace where everyone can thrive.

You can find out more about career opportunities at Cartmells here